December 16, 2010 at 5:37 pm
By Bob Speyer – Web Successs Team
Customer service is the face of your business. It may be time to consider a “face-lift.” We have all had both positive and negative experiences when contacting or following up on an order from a business — both online and offline.
Many jobs are lost or canceled because businesses have failed to provide customers (or potentials) what they want and need. In today’s business climate, we are all to focused on the negative, waiting for a company to fall short of expectations. Having key people that are knowledgeable in all phases of the sales cycle and follow up is critical in running a successful business.
Continue reading “The Importance of Marketing Customer Service” »
November 9, 2010 at 3:08 pm
By Bob Speyer, Web Success Team
Every week I talk to business people about social media, from entrepreneurs and start ups to corporate types in medium to large businesses. Most either have a limited social media presence or are timid about its use for their business purposes — yet they are intrigued about all the buzz. Their questions and concerns are legitimate, so I decided to write this article to address their most common concerns.
Continue reading “Making the Case for Social Media” »
November 2, 2010 at 3:36 pm
By Janette Leon-Speyer, Web Success Team
“It’s just Advertising!” It’s the only phrase that comes to mind when my clients ask me “How does Social Media work?” More and more I am finding that we are doing the same job we did years ago when we worked in traditional advertising.
Historically, for the last century advertising has sought to build corporate reputations through branding and image recognition without directly appealing for sales. Return on investment was subservient to building your brand. Social Media acts quite similar in that the medium is the message. If clients are looking solely at ROI, then social media is not the first place to look. If harnessed, it can be the right place to deliver your message and help gain exposure.
Continue reading “Social Media: Advertising and Promotion Parallels” »
October 28, 2010 at 3:19 pm
By Janette Leon-Speyer, Web Success Team
The advent of Social Media Marketing has radically changed the world of PR. Traditionally, Public Relations is used to build rapport with customers and the general public using media to promote their brand message through broadcast, radio, print and online engines.
In contrast, Wikipedia denotes: “Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks. A corporate message spreads from user to user and presumably resonates because it is coming from a trusted source, as opposed to the brand or company itself.”
Continue reading “Social Media and PR: A Partnership of Results” »
January 27, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Ask yourself which is more powerful when you are deciding on a purchase: a referral from a friend or colleague; a printed advertisement; or a sales person.
Not to second guess you, but I bet overwhelmingly it is someone you have direct contact with, someone who has actually purchased the product or service, or has heard good things about it from a trusted friend. Recommendations are sales gold.
This senario falls into the realm of social media networking. It is powerful, it is convincing and it is proven. Companies have spend millions of dollars to promote their brand and to deliver the right message to consumers through traditional advertising. Now the statistics are in and they are moving more of their marketing dollars to the digital/social media arenas.
Here are a few social media facts and figures:
- 300,000+ businesses use Facebook
- 300 million people are active Facebook users
- 100 million viewers are on YouTube
- 14 million Twitter users
- 346 million people read blogs; 184 million bloggers
Your new and current business will depend more and more on social media marketing. That’s were the hearts and minds of your customers will be focused. They are relying more on input and personal experiences in decision making that having some Madison Avenue wag influence your decision where to spend your hard earned money.
The paradigm has shifted. Power to the people. As James Frley, CMO Ford stated, “You can’t just say it. You have to get the people to say it to each other.”
Here are just a few real life examples:
- Naked Pizza set a one-day sales record using social media marketing. Using Twitter, they increased sales 67% of which 84% were new customers.
- An organized tweet-up for Susan G. Komen for the Cure netted 11,000 visitors in 24 hours and countless donations.
- Web host provider Moonfruit spent $15,000 on social media and increased their traffic by 300% — translation, a sales bump of 20%.
These stories are not uncommon. Creating and implementing an effective social media marketing plan is as essential to your business as your telephones. Implementing one is a must. There is no getting around that social media done correctly takes time and resources, but the return on investment is there for the taking.
The New Buying Reality
Buying habits have changed. Selling has to catch-up to this new reality. The better news is that it is affordable, considering its reach and appeal. You are building lasting relationships that will continue to pay dividends, or in business terms, profits. How’s that for a return on investment.
Get started today. The Web Success Team can tailor a social media marketing plan to fit your company and to promote your brand.
Source for this article: Socialnomics
